Wolves may have just dropped into the Championship, but the club still has a strong hand in Bastien Meupiyou’s future – and that could become useful very quickly this summer.
Bastien Meupiyou has played 31 matches this season for Alverca, under manager Custódio Castro, and has quietly become one of the more watched young defenders in the the Portuguese league.
Alverca sit 10th place with four games to go. They are safe from relegation and had a solid season despite spending most of the time in the bottom half of the table. Meupiyou is one of the reasons they secured survival so early.
Wolves keeping close eye on progress
Portuguese newspaper Record reports Wolves are keeping close track of the 20-year-old centre-back after his impressive season with Alverca in Portugal’s first division.
One recent example came during Alverca’s visit to FC Porto, where scouts from several clubs were present. Wolves included, of course.
The defender only arrived at Wolves from Nantes in 2024 for around €5m (£4.3m). However, he barely featured beyond the club’s U21 side before moving to Portugal a year later.
That quick exit raised eyebrows at the time, especially considering his reputation in France as one of Nantes’ better young defensive prospects.
Now things look different. At 20 years old, Meupiyou has gained regular senior football and appears far more settled physically and tactically. His size, recovery speed and comfort in possession have reportedly attracted attention from clubs around Europe.
Just last month, we covered Portuguese reports claiming Borussia Dortmund has his name on their shortlist. And surely they won’t be alone in this chase during the summer window.
Guaranteed to help Wolves
The interesting part for Wolves is that they can profit in two different ways.
The newspaper explains the English club inserted a buyback clause when they sold the French defender to Alverca last summer. That clause is believed to be worth less than €1m (£850k).
Wolves also negotiated close to 50% of a future transfer fee, meaning they would still earn a sizeable amount even if another club signs him directly from Alverca.
So Wolves can either bring Meupiyou back themselves for a relatively small fee or simply sit back and benefit financially if the defender’s value continues to rise elsewhere.
Jorge Mendes could accelerate transfer movement
Another important detail is Jorge Mendes’ involvement. Record say the super-agent is already working on the player’s next move, which usually suggests the market around the defender is becoming active.
For Wolves, this may become a useful test of their recruitment strategy. The club lost several young talents during relegation uncertainty, but Meupiyou could still turn into either a low-cost defensive solution or a profitable asset.
Given Wolves’ current financial landscape after relegation, both outcomes probably sound attractive right now.
